an eloquently warped point of view from the tongue of a cartoon character.

Magic Makeup Soldiers

by hellorousseau

“That’s why I began doing makeup in the first place: I was hoping that through helping people see the beauty in themselves, I could try and find it in me.” –Kevyn Aucoin.

Brooklynn Reimer, Samantha Eve Klassen, and Josh Stark are among the very talented in the Winnipeg makeup industry. The three of them have created countless colourful, uniquelooks, and continue to serve the people of this city with their fabulous cosmetic touch (along the lines of something like this). However, the best part about their cosmetic-compulsion is the self-admiring spirit they’ve discovered. Brooklynn’s, “Love the skin you’re in” thinking, and Josh’s ‘live for yourself’ attitude help them stay on track to having a strong positive body image, and a wonderful amount of contagious self confidence.

Pictured: King of Eyebrows.

Josh Stark is a 20-year-old who has worked in the beauty industry for a little over a year, and absolutely loves what he does. He’s been interested in makeup since high school, and I had the pleasure to talk to him about his views on self-acceptance and his simple tips and tricks.

“Body positivity is working towards accepting the body you were given. There are some things about yourself that you cannot change. No workout, no diet, no surgery can change everything, and it’s finally accepting those parts about yourself and learning to love them that’s important. In my case, I have a long torso with short legs, and there is absolutely nothing I can do about that, so I look at it positively. It does take a lot of time and effort, but once you accept yourself for who you are, and become confident with yourself, the world is your oyster.

I live my life only for myself. I don’t live it for anyone else. People’s opinions of me, my choices, and my appearance mean nothing to me. I have a lot of strong idols to look up to. I know that for some people, being confident with who you are can be difficult, but you just have to not let negativity affect you- don’t even think about it. My favorite feature are my eyes and eyebrows. I get the most compliments on them. I inherited my mothers hazel eyes, and I’m pretty talented with ’brows, so I put a lot of time and effort into them. Tweezing, waxing, shaping, filling them in…”

TIPS FROM A PRO:
1. Find the right complexion products. Everyone’s skin is different, and just because your friend’s foundation looks amazing on them, doesn’t mean it’ll look the same on you. So just do your research, ask lots of questions, and you’ll find the perfect one.
2. Always, always, always contour. Even just taking a little bit of bronzer and dusting it on the cheekbones can really give your face dimension and make your cheekbones pop.
3. Now: On to the ‘brows. Everyone on this planet should fill in their ‘brows. You can just fill in any sparse areas with short small strokes using a pencil, or you can create a whole new ’brow with certain ‘brow products and create a new shape if you don’t have much ’brow to begin with.

Pictured: Queen of Eyelashes.

Brooklynn Reimer is another 20-year-old who has fallen in love with makeup. After joining the industry last year, she has quickly become an enthusiastic artist. Brooklynn was nice enough to share her thoughts on confidence, and her journey to being body positive.

“My definition of body positivity would be love the skin you’re in. Everyone has aspects of themselves that they’re insecure about, but being positive and accepting yourself for who you are will make a big impact in your life. Other people will notice that positivity, and it will change the way they see you as well.

Confidence to me would come from what I wear or what im doing. Doing makeup for other people, and seeing how I can transform someone else’s confidence in themselves helps me feel more confident in myself and in what I’m doing. For me, my favourite feature would have to be my nails. I love nail polish, and it’s a fun way to be super creative, express yourself, and make yourself feel really pretty!”

TIPS FROM A PRO:1. I could not live without my winged liner. For an easy winged liner, use a liquid pen, or a gel liner with a brush. I find that I get the most precise line with those two kinds of products.

2. Everyone needs a good mascara in their life. For long, fuller lashes, I like to start by using a mascara primer or serum. I then use a mascara with a fuller brush, and apply it right on top of the mascara primer.

Pictured: Queen of Lipstick.

Samantha Klassen is a self-described ‘lipstick junkie’. She’s been in the makeup industry for a while now, and her love of lip everything has driven her further into the magical world of cosmetics.

Sam thinks that healthy body image to means, “Lovin’ what you got. There’s always going to be something we wish was shaped a little bit differently, but focusing on the good is always key. It helps to know that life is so much bigger than worrying about what my body shape is.” When asked about her favourite feature, Sam said, “I’m gonna go ahead and say my legs. They’ve always had an athletic shape to them even when I don’t work out!”

TIPS FROM A PRO:
1. One of my favourite tricks is for winged liner- grab a post-it note, fold it in half, and hold with one hand from bottom lash line to end of brow. It gives you the perfect angled guideline.
2. Use concealer to clean up the lips. I don’t always do it but I should, it gives such a clean crisp lip look!

At the end of the day, their love of cosmetics, and their passion for makeup has evolved into something that has boosted their confidence. Makeup can be magic,